


out of many, one; out of one, many

by onlyjusticewillbringpeace



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Decolonization, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Found family love, Multi, Other, Platonic Love, Zutara, consent and accountability, imagining radical possibilities, mailee, no more spiritual bypassing!, the real world is too sad for fic to be sad too, writing happy endings for traumatized kids is therapy, zutara minus mai- and aang-hate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyjusticewillbringpeace/pseuds/onlyjusticewillbringpeace
Summary: Mai realizes she deserves a love that doesn't hurt. Aang learns about spiritual bypassing and consent. MaiLee and Zutara and found family moments to replace the forced hetero endings. All the ATLA universe goodness, minus the NiceGuyTM trope. Canon divergent after the Boiling Rock.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 105





	1. childhood friends

Again. He was leaving again, his new friends and new ideals taking precedence over her. The boy her parents had wanted her to marry. Mai felt the clench in her gut, stab of hurt in her chest, and took control. Shuriken ready, she faced the girl whose cruelty had taught her to bury all vulnerability. Maybe this wasn’t about Zuko so much as it was about herself - standing up for the little girl she had been before Azula. He wasn’t worth dying for. But Mai was. And she would make sure Azula suffered before the end. 

When Ty Lee disarmed Azula, Mai couldn’t hide her reaction. Shock, at being chosen first. Fear, for her truest friend. Gratitude, awe, and something else. All immediately hidden out of necessity, with the back-up shuriken she knew she would need soon. Grey eyes met hers and she couldn’t look away. 

\--

The cell was only nominally different from the one Zuko had locked her in earlier. She quietly noted all points of access and located herself in the building based on the maps of the prison her uncle had shown her. Taking stock of her remaining blades, she turned her attention to the girl who had risked everything for her. 

Ty Lee’s shoulders were shaking slightly, but Mai knew better than to mistake her friend’s sweetness and soft aesthetic for weakness. No one survived Azula except warriors. When Mai took Ty Lee’s hand, their calluses slid together, testaments to their strength. 

“Thank you.” Mai tried to pour everything into two words and their locked gaze - the magnitude of Ty Lee’s sacrifice, her sorrow for their lost childhoods, the way Ty Lee’s choice filled an empty space Mai was used to ignoring. Her fierce desire to protect her friend through the difficulties ahead. And something else that felt new and old at the same time, too fragile to look at directly. 

Ty Lee didn’t break their gaze. She had always played with people’s biases, turning their disdain against them after they underestimated her. Her sweetness was a superpower and an act of defiance, much like that of the young airbender. Both of them knew pain intimately, and deliberately chose joy. Mai felt something slot into place. Ty Lee’s laughter was the throughline, brightness in a nation of black and red. “I’m not leaving you, Mai. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Too hot, stupid tears. One slipped out before Mai could clamp down on the rising emotion. She knitted her brows and pursed her lips, holding it together - when Ty Lee’s fingers brushed her cheek. The gentleness hurt too much. Zuko’s rages, Azula’s cutting comments and casual violence, her parents’ desire for an obedient daughter, were safe because they were known. If Mai didn’t expect anything else, it didn’t have to hurt. She didn’t need people to know her or care about her or protect her, so it didn’t matter. But to receive tenderness, and need it, meant all the times she’d gone without had been real. And they surged up and out of the places in her body she had contained them, in jerking sobs that stabbed in all the soft places. She collapsed and curled into a ball, self-hatred drawing its blade as Azula had trained it to. 

But a warm arm wrapped around her, and the smell of lavender was in her face, and deft fingers wove through her hair. Shivers of - a good sensation, something nice - radiated across her skin, and Ty Lee’s musical voice was murmuring something Mai was too tired to understand but could feel. “It’s okay to cry, Mai. It’s okay. I’m here with you. You don’t have to hold it in.”

When the tears tapered off, Mai felt lighter. More vulnerable but not so afraid, because Ty Lee’s hand hadn’t let go. She was a snotty, red-eyed mess, she was sure, but Ty Lee didn’t look away. The acrobat tore off a piece of her shirt and wiped Mai’s face, then kissed both cheeks before Mai could process it. She must be in the spirit world - she and Ty Lee had turned against Azula, they were still alive, and Ty Lee had just kissed her? 

“You are my best friend, Mai. We will get through this together.” Ty Lee’s hand resumed its caresses through Mai’s hair, spreading the sweet tingling sensation all across her skin. “We need to rest now. We’ll make plans tomorrow, okay? Let’s sleep. It’s going to be okay.” She smiled and Mai suddenly realized why boys always wanted to hold doors open for her happy friend. She felt tremors in her spine and realized she’d never felt so vulnerable in her life. But Ty Lee’s touch somehow kept that vulnerability from being dangerous. Mai was safe and unguarded. It was too new to make sense of. She nodded and closed her eyes. 

\--

She woke up to the smell of lavender. A shining rope of hair was in her field of vision for some reason? And - Ty Lee was curled up in Mai’s arms? Mai bit her lip. It hadn’t been a dream. This was happening. Ty Lee snuggled closer, pulling Mai’s arm around her waist. She felt completely soft and protected, even though they were in prison? Mai’s quick mind commented that with Ty Lee by her side, there were few enemies they couldn’t defeat. And the most dangerous one was far away and never wanted to see them again. Mai breathed in deep. She would watch the door and consider escape plans while her friend slept. And if the closeness felt like Ember Island waters on a perfect day, that was okay, too.

\--

“I have a really important secret to tell you, Mai. We can’t tell anyone else, okay?” Mai narrowed her eyes and nodded sharply. They were stretching and counting the intervals between shifts in the guards. “My family isn’t actually from the Fire Nation.” Ty Lee worried her lower lip with her teeth and stepped closer, whispering in Mai’s ear. “I’m an Air Nomad. And I might be an airbender.” Ty Lee’s breath brought the shivery sensation back, scattering over Mai’s skin. That was definitely not why Mai stepped in closer, peering into Ty Lee’s eyes. Right?

“All the Air Nomads are dead, Ty Lee. What are you talking about?” She wanted to speak softer words, words that would caress Ty Lee’s spirit. But sarcasm was another of her shurikens, sharp words always at the ready. She lifted her hand to Ty Lee’s neck, trying the massaging motion her mother used when Tom-Tom was upset. 

“We had to let the world think that. When Sozin attacked the temples, the nomads who were abroad had to go into hiding immediately. My great-grandmother hid in the Earth Kingdom with a few other survivors. Three of my sisters are airbenders, and I probably am, too.” Mai gazed into blazing grey eyes and felt her world shift on its axis once again.

“You’ve fought for the Fire Nation, though. Your whole life.” Mai tried to soften her words so they would feel like Ty Lee’s did - firelilies on the skin. 

“Azula would have killed me otherwise, Mai. She almost burned me alive when I tried to stay with the circus. And we needed someone in the Caldera, someone in the inner circle. No one suspects an airheaded flirt could be a spy.” Mai tightened her jaw, remembering Zuko calling Ty Lee a ‘circus freak.’ 

“Okay. I believe you.” Mai closed her eyes and thought quickly. “Do you want to find your family? The other nomads?”

“Now that I’m officially an enemy of the Fire Nation, we’re better off joining the resistance. Do you remember when I taught you tightrope?” Mai’s eyes crinkled and she cracked a smile at the memory. 

“I remember falling in the fountain - again. Why did you and Azula always try to get me wet?” Ty Lee giggled and Mai hunched her shoulders in shame at the unintended innuendo. Quickly she deflected, “Yes. I can cross the gondola wires. The next group of prisoners should arrive in four days, if my uncle hasn’t changed his plans. We’ll need a ship to get off the island. I broke out of the other cell pretty easily, and this one follows the same principles. We should leave right after midnight; the guard on night shift is lazy.”

Ty Lee hugged her close and Mai’s body felt like one big sigh of relief. The soft curves and inner strength of her best friend were comforting, familiar, and spurred the upward surge of that strange new feeling. Mai closed her eyes, thinking that Ty Lee seemed to have turned into the Avatar - she was calling waves and fire in Mai’s body, and she’d always moved like the wind. 

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Mai. You’re so smart. I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone but you.” 

Mai swallowed the lump in her throat; Ty Lee’s freedom with compliments had always made her popular but Mai knew that she meant them all. Ty Lee really did see good in the world everywhere she looked, finding and expanding joy wherever she went. With Azula, Mai took the role of the pessimist and Ty Lee the idealist, their natural tendencies warped to extremes in the princess’s orbit. Mai’s practicality had become dour and Ty Lee’s kindness became saccharine. Without Azula, maybe Mai could let herself feel and express again. She had a feeling there were some things she was going to need to say to Ty Lee at some point. 

\--

Escaping the Boiling Rock and stealing a motorized lifeboat was easy, of course. If Zuko (and his surprisingly capable new friends) could do it, she and Ty Lee certainly could. Especially since Zuko et al. wouldn’t have made it out without Mai in the first place. 

The lifeboat was a downgrade from the opulence they were accustomed to as Azula’s sidekicks, but neither of them knew how to steer a ship and they didn’t have Azula’s station to command a crew’s obedience. Mai glanced at their prison robes and the humble vessel and pressed her lips together. She might have complained about the boredom of court life before, but this was - probably her karma, honestly. Ty Lee had mentioned something about it before, back when Mai had been with Zuko and had gotten into the habit of tuning out her friend. She sighed. Looked like she was going to be following in her ex-boyfriend’s footsteps, slumming it with peasants and conspiring against the Fire Nation. Joy. 

Ty Lee glanced back at her and rolled her eyes. “Mai, your aura’s going murky again. Stop being so negative, silly!” Mai couldn’t help but notice all the shades of brown in her friend’s braid, and the baby hairs that had escaped around her face. She bit her lip and prayed to Agni she wasn’t blushing. “Aw, there you go! Nice and pink,” Ty Lee smiled and turned back to steering. 

“Do you - need a break?” Mai asked, feeling small and awkward but wanting to do something kind for the friend who brought sweetness wherever she went. She twirled a shuriken in her fingers and glanced out of the corner of her eye. 

“Thanks, Mai! In a little bit. The wind feels so good on my face!” Ty Lee closed her eyes and beamed, letting the sun kiss her face. Mai wanted to - be a sunbeam kissing Ty Lee’s face? Holy flames of the eternal Sun, this was humiliating. She shuddered and clenched her fists. But Ty Lee’s joy seemed to loosen the tightness in Mai’s shoulders and the wind was just right, so Mai decided to try and let the little girl in her be happy. That was why she had stood up to Azula, anyway, for the open-hearted child she had been. That child would have loved the sea breeze. So Mai breathed in the fragile freedom of her new life.

\-- 

Ty Lee figured out new hairstyles and outfits for them quickly; it was a simple matter of robbing a store and taking a shuriken to their hair. They never did see any wanted posters for their capture; apparently the warden and prison guards hadn’t wanted to risk Azula’s wrath by informing the princess of their escape. 

After a weird moment with a truly disgusting animal, they fell into the bounty hunting business quite easily. It had the nicer elements of their time chasing the Avatar, without the drawbacks. There was the exhilaration of the chase, of letting her skills shine, without the constant dread of Azula’s violence. And also they were kind of good people now, only hunting villains instead of a bunch of kids. (And apparently Ty Lee had been good all along? Her goodness was like pentapox - it made Mai itch and seemed highly contagious.) Fighting bad guys felt better to Mai’s heart, which kept softening each night she slept curled around Ty Lee. They saved up to pay for their journey to Ty Lee’s family. It was a lot of change at once, but Mai had always been quick and you didn’t survive Azula without learning how to pivot. 

Ty Lee was a better kisser than Zuko, of course. She’d had a lot more practice (Mai had had to ask Ty Lee for tips because the prince kept biting her lip) and was, to Mai, superior to Zuko in all possible respects. 

Their first kiss was in a lake at sunset, where Ty Lee suggested they cool off after a day of tracking. Jun was at a seedy tavern, as usual. Mai felt the lake supporting her effortlessly and thought she might understand that waterbender a little better. A month ago she would never have deigned to swim in anything less than an Ember Island beach or a royal pool. But the golden light angled through a dozen different shades of green, and Ty Lee glowed. The thrum of a dragonbee drew Mai’s narrowed gaze as the insect flew close to Ty Lee’s head, then to Mai, and back again. 

“I think it’s trying to tell us something!” Ty Lee beamed - shyly? Mai was calculating how fast she would need to move if the dragonbee tried to sting Ty Lee. “The dragonbee is the symbol of a river spirit of sweet healing waters. She is a goddess of love and beauty.” Mai quirked her lip in a half-smile; this goddess sounded like Ty Lee’s patron spirit. 

Her eyes widened as Ty Lee swam closer. The sky was so blue Mai wondered if she might float up into it - the water and the heavens looked the same. What was happening? Ty Lee bit her lip and Mai’s eyes followed it. Then soft lips were on hers and Ty Lee’s curves pressed against her and she tasted like honey and nothing hurt. There was none of the anger and sorrow and heaviness Zuko carried, the burning that was always in the back of his throat every time they kissed. Just the fierce sweetness of the girl who had loved her their whole lives, in so many ways, and now one more.


	2. generations lost and found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lesson on spiritual bypassing, emotional responsibility, entitlement, and consent Aang should have learned.

It wasn’t fair and nobody understood what he was going through. There had to be another way. He was the last airbender, and all he had to remember his people were their beliefs. His past lives didn’t get it - they got to wait until they were sixteen to train. He knotted his brows.

“Avatar Aang, you are not listening to us. If you wish to preserve the legacy of our people, you must admit your spiritual arrogance.” Aang’s indignation swelled. How dare Avatar Yangchen accuse him of arrogance! 

“Your defensiveness is ego, young one. I know Monk Gyatso taught you to be wary of spiritual pride.” Guilt, shame and loss exploded in Aang’s heart. Was he really in his ego after all? The airbender’s heart ached and he clenched his knees to his chest. 

“Oh, little nomad, you are doing so well. In countless ways, you bring honor to the Air Nomads. Your joy teaches others not to take their egos seriously. Your diplomacy brings peace. Your kindness heals cruelty. Your hope illuminates new possibilities for a world in pain. Your freedom from hatred is necessary to shift cycles of oppression. You are the Avatar the world needs right now.” Momo licked away the tears trickling down Aang’s face. 

“The Avatar is a human being and therefore fallible like all humans. That is what it means to be the bridge between Spirit and humanity - not to escape the imperfection and pain of the human world, but to love it.” Aang blinked and bit his lip. It had been over a hundred years since he had sat at the feet of his elders. The wisdom was confusing as ever, like getting knots untangled in his mind, but part of his heart lit up. Losing his connection to the older nomads and their generations of wisdom had hurt too much for him to bear. 

“How can I love this world and use violence? Isn’t that wrong?” Aang stroked Momo’s fur and tried to let his mind be a clear sky, open to deeper understanding.

“Avatar Aang, there are more koans and books of Air Nomad philosophy than Monk Gyatso got to teach you. You mastered the practice of airbending, but did not complete your studies of our theology. It would be well for you and the other nomads to study the remaining texts in the temples.” Avatar Yangchen nodded serenely. 

“You mean after I have kids? Yeah, I’m sure Katara wouldn’t mind if we - ” 

“Other air nomads survived the genocide, Avatar Aang. They did not receive the classical training you did, and have been in hiding for a century, but you can also be a bridge for them to the wisdom of our ancestors.” Aang’s stomach was churning. 

“What?! Why didn’t Roku tell me before? How could you let me suffer like this?” Aang tried to keep from hyperventilating. 

“Part of being human is living with mystery and uncertainty. It builds spiritual muscle to cultivate the courage and humility to do your best in spite of the discomfort of not knowing. And you, Avatar Aang, have a habit of running away from uncomfortable emotions.”

Aang’s eyes filled with tears again. “I lost everything! I have huge burdens on my shoulders, but I’m just a kid and it’s too much - ”

“We are sorry, Avatar Aang.” Yangchen’s eyes glistened. “Your trauma is great. That pain is indeed too much for any child to bear. And yet, our soul chose this path. Before you were born, you agreed to the responsibilities of our role. And the agony you feel in this incarnation is the agony that countless children feel due to Ozai’s oppression. The spiritual duty of the Avatar is to experience the pain that is an inescapable part of the human experience, and let that pain teach you empathy and grace. Let that empathy guide you into action to reduce harm for all sentient beings.”

“And that’s exactly why I can’t kill Ozai! Why are you asking me to go against our principles, elder sister?” Aang felt like he was being pulled apart. 

Avatar Yangchen took a deep breath and blew on Aang’s head. He didn’t feel wind in the physical world, but his shoulders dropped from his ears and he felt coolness pour through his body. 

“Little one, this is a precept that you have not yet grasped. Inaction is action, as form is formlessness. By refusing to end Ozai’s life, you are complicit in the murder of millions. Your refusal is not morally superior to your friends’ strategy. Your pain at the deaths of our people is leading you to cling to a reductive interpretation of our beliefs.” The elder airbender blew on Aang’s chest, and he felt the agony in his heart ease.

“Death is not the worst experience a sentient being can encounter, my child. It is simply a transformation, a transition to another state of existence. A human becomes a tree, becomes fruit, becomes animal and becomes human once again. This is why we practice detachment. You must work to free your mind from the graspings of your ego.” Aang blinked and tried to focus on what his elder was saying. 

“Pain is inevitable for sentient beings, but suffering is not. Suffering is a result of attachment. Your spiritual work and your personal healing begins by you facing your fears, attachments, anger, resentment and expectations. Because you do not have elder nomads to guide you, you have been justifying your ego’s demands with our philosophy. But to fulfill our soul’s responsibility to this world, you must listen to Avatar Kiyoshi with the same humility you extend to me.”

Aang’s chin trembled. Kiyoshi didn’t get it! She didn’t understand him! She - 

“Avatar Aang, it is your ego that presumes you are so unique that no one else could possibly understand you. It is arrogance to close your mind to wisdom from our opposite element. This is not the behavior of a spiritual seeker, but that of a child who is spiritually bypassing out of his attachment to pleasurable feelings. Such as your attachment to Master Katara.”

Aang felt fire rising in him again. He tried to be present with the emotion, even though he felt like ending the meditation to make the anger stop. 

“It is good that you love her and that you have each other. Love is not the problem, it is the solution. However, your ego is attempting to place all your pain and all your needs on her shoulders. And that is selfish.” 

Aang hunched his shoulders; listening to this was more difficult than fighting Azula. But the ancient part of him could feel that he needed to hear what Yangchen had to say. 

“She cannot take away your discomfort, trauma and grief. She cannot solve all your problems or meet all your needs. They are your responsibility, not hers. As human beings, you are meant to be interdependent, but not solely on one other person. The needs you are trying to meet through her are better distributed across many loving relationships, just as we share our feelings and needs with our many loved ones among the Air Nomads. You have already begun to gather your tribe of loved ones, and it will only keep growing.” 

Aang took a deep breath. The urge to flee was subsiding slightly, and he felt a glow of self-esteem for practicing contrary action. He was strengthening his spiritual muscles again! 

“This is also why killing is not the ultimate act of harm, little one. Your unexamined expectations and emotional entitlement in relation to Katara are causing her to suffer right now, while she is still alive. By placing her in the role of your caretaker and protector - as well as the object of your desire - you are unintentionally increasing her emotional suffering. She, too, lost her childhood and has unfair burdens on her shoulders. She lost her mother, yet she gives mothering she did not receive to you and your friends. You are asking her to give you water, but her well is almost empty.”

Aang felt guilt spike in his throat and exhaled heavily. He didn’t want to do that! It just felt so good to be taken care of. And when she did the grown-up things, he didn’t have to feel the worry he realized she took on by being the responsible one. 

“Avatar Aang, emotions are difficult for all humans. The path to enlightenment is by braving difficulty to serve all sentient beings, maximizing help and minimizing harm. You are not entitled to Katara simply because you feel pleasurable emotions around her and she reduces uncomfortable feelings. Do you see how that is selfishness masquerading as love?”

Aang felt an opening in his crown chakra. Guru Pathik hadn’t been asking him to stop loving Katara. He needed to let go of his attachment to how he felt around her and the illusion he had created in her name.

“Very good, little one.” Avatar Yangchen smiled tenderly. “I am so proud of you, and Monk Gyatso is, too. Part of Gyatso’s love for you is embodied in your friend Katara, just as I said - death is only a transformation. Love never dies. And it will always find you.”

Aang’s heart felt warm and he knew he was weeping. Momo’s warmth was soft against his belly. 

“Katara has her own path and her own flaws. She, like you, is imperfect, with needs and spiritual lessons to master. As a healer, she must learn to take care of herself first before helping others. She must allow others to take care of themselves, as well - for there is arrogance also in her assuming excessive responsibility. And to love her, you need to learn to see and accept who she truly is, without imposing your projections, desires and judgments.”

“But am I always going to be alone?” Aang burst, squeezing Momo so tight the lemur squeaked. 

“You are never alone, Avatar Aang. To value romantic connection over all other forms of love is another manifestation of the ego’s insatiable desire for pleasure at all costs. Romantic partnership is difficult work, and it requires full responsibility for uncomfortable emotions, for all your actions and inactions. It is not an escape from emotional pain, but a test of one’s ability to stay present, take accountability, open one’s mind, learn from mistakes, and exercise spiritual muscle.”

Aang blinked rapidly and hugged Momo close. “Just like you said… I’ve been longing for some way to stop hurting, and I made up a story that Katara being my girlfriend would give me a happy ending where I wouldn’t have to feel things I don’t want to feel.”

“Avatar Aang, the Air Nomads traditionally practice many forms of love without egoic attachment. Adult nomads of different genders gave and received pleasure joyfully in as many combinations as there are birds in the sky. Some nomads had partnerships with multiple people and negotiated healthy ways for all parties to experience care. All of this, however, comes after inner work to clear your heart of wounds, attachments and desires that would cause harm. You will have time as an adult to love many people, and each love will teach you lessons that no other can. Be patient, and work on taking responsibility for your feelings. There is so much sweetness to come.”

Yangchen’s smile was full of love. Aang closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes, elder sister.” He peered up at her through eyes sensitive from crying. “I will listen to Kiyoshi. The peace and balance the world needs cannot exist for so long as I allow Ozai to spread death across the planet.” He straightened his posture. “Will you help me find the other nomads? I miss our people so much - ” his voice broke. 

“Yes, my child. Come to the temples and call on me after the comet comes. Now, it is time to do your duty. You are loved beyond measure. You are not alone.” 

Aang sniffled and bowed deeply. Momo chattered and did the same as the apparition of the Air Nomad vanished. The two held each other close.


	3. choose yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zutara sweetness

Aang was gone. Again, leaving right when they needed him the most. His absence cut into the wound of Hakoda’s departure all those years ago, but Aang's abandonment hurt worse. Katara’s father had left to protect and defend their family - Aang disappeared right after refusing to end the war that had taken her mother. And he had yelled at her that she didn’t understand - her, the last bender of the Southern Water Tribe. Her family was separating again, both blood and chosen, with death on the horizon. 

She went to the water. She hadn’t realized the Fire Nation was so rich in her element - the complexity of this place (and its people) was overwhelming. To protect her heart, Katara had long ago divided the world into villains and heroes, clear dichotomies differentiating who she could trust. Only an evil nation could murder mothers and steal children, and everyone from that country must have ashes in their veins. If there were good people from the Fire Nation, would that mean that her people - her mother - had deserved to die? How could people of integrity allow genocide? How could good and evil coexist within a person, within a country, within a world? Holding that complexity had felt impossible. 

So she had taken comfort in Aang’s pure sweetness, his fierce belief in her perfection. She was one of the good guys, and the Fire Nation were the bad guys. This was purpose, this was justice, this was her destiny. She pushed down all awareness of her own capacity for rage, her thirst for vengeance, her resentment at being a mother without ever getting to be a child. She was good, and Zuko was bad. If she had cruelty inside of her, it was his fault. He and his nation were responsible for every wound she had ever felt, and defeating them would take away her pain. She would marry the boy who saw her as an angel, and they would live happily ever after while the Fire Nation paid for their sins.

But the banished prince was the embodiment of every contradiction she hadn't wanted to face. His capacity for change and sacrifice challenged her certainty that the Fire Nation was irredeemable. His scar revealed that he, too, had suffered permanent wounds from the Fire Lord. How could he be both the villain and a boy who lost his mother? Aang’s rescuer and his kidnapper? How did he speak out against the Fire Nation’s violence, then later perpetuate it? Why was he the one who refused to retaliate in the face of everything she threw at him, who stayed after Aang disappeared, who helped her cook and parent the others and never let her mother him? How could he be the one who accepted the parts of her she was most ashamed of? 

Fish danced in the warm salt waters at her feet. Katara smiled to see their shimmering scales, so much healthier than the poisoned ones from the village where she met the Painted Lady. Where the hate and compassion in her heart had fought as fiercely as she and Zuko, and her love had won. Where she saw her childself in the little Fire Nation boy, not an enemy. Katara gently lifted a pair of fish out of the sea into an orb to watch their scales catch the moonlight. 

Her breath caught at another memory, of the gods of her people in an oasis oceans away. Tui and La each bore the mark of their partner, neither completely black or white, a star in cosmic darkness and ebony in moonlight. 

“I’m sorry I disrespected the Spirit Oasis,” a familiar voice spoke behind her. “I acted without honor, and desecrated your people’s sacred ground. I didn’t deserve healing from those waters.”

Katara returned the fish to the waves and turned around. Zuko stood at the trailhead, a tray with a teapot in his hands. His golden eyes were looking at the ground, head hung the way it often did in her presence. Her insides felt tender, like a wound being washed by saltwater. The hurt that comes as toxins wash away and healing begins. 

“You’ve apologized enough, Zuko. Stop hurting yourself, okay?” Katara sighed and walked over, stopping close enough to look up into his eyes. When had his gaze become so clear and soft? It was night, but his eyes were sunlight. She felt the parts of her she bundled up and hid away basking in that light. 

“Um, I - brought tea?” The prince’s voice cracked and he looked away. “Uncle always makes me tea when I feel upset - not that you’re upset - but I mean, it’s okay if you are? You - um, I’m just going to leave this here. It probably tastes awful, so you could definitely throw it out, that would be totally fine -” 

Katara tilted her head and felt a grin unfurl across her face. Taking the tray from his hands and placing it on the sand, she embraced this boy who had somehow become her friend. His heart was racing against her cheek, but he was slow and deliberate in placing his arms around her, one at the small of her back and the other gently stroking her hair. 

Zuko was solid and steady. He stayed and fought for what he believed was right, and he got it wrong a lot, but he was also willing to stay and fix what he had broken. Katara closed her eyes and let herself lean into him, this boy-almost-man who offered her support and acceptance without asking for anything in return. She silently said a prayer to the spirits of both their people, that the rest of the world could reconcile like she and he had. 

Katara pulled back and looked up at her friend, trying to pour all her gratitude into her smile. “Thank you, Zuko.” He caught his breath and let her go, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. 

“Um, you’re welcome? It’s an honor to be of service to a beautiful maiden - I mean, not that you’re beautiful - uh, you really really are, but I’m not hitting on you - it’s just what Uncle says when he’s talking to ladies - argggh!” He covered his face with his hands. “Please forget this happened. I’ll be going now. Sorry to disturb you.”

Without dropping his hands, Zuko quickly turned around, but Katara caught his arm. The boy froze. 

“Stay with me, Zuko. Please?” Katara gently pulled him back to face her and put her hands on her hips. “We might be dead in a week, and all this war has done is split my family apart. You’re family now, and I don’t want you to leave.”

Several expressions flickered across the prince’s face, too quickly for Katara to interpret them. He breathed deeply and met her eyes with softness that still surprised her after all their months of fighting. “I’ll pour your tea.” 

Katara felt actual laughter bubbling up from her belly at the memory of the prince’s time as a tea server. “You know, you never told me about your customer service days. How many cups did you break?” she teased, poking his side and sidling close. 

He narrowed his eyes and scoffed good-naturedly. “I’ll have you know that I have very good balance and only broke four cups my first day. And that was the customer’s fault!” 

Katara felt mischief replacing her melancholy and reached close to tickle her hot-tempered friend. “Didn’t your uncle teach you that the customer is always right?” The prince yelped and blushed, glaring at her before cracking one of his rare smiles. Katara belatedly realized she had poked a sleeping dragon, but her friend had already tackled her and began tickling her back ferociously. 

The friendly battle ended only when the two were out of breath, stomachs aching with laughter, on their backs in the sand. The heavens were indigo and mahogany, scattered with unfamiliar constellations that took Katara’s breath away. “Zuko? If we survive, will you come visit the South Pole? I want to show you the Southern Lights.”

She felt golden eyes on her and turned her head. “Are you sure you want me there? I did so many bad things -” Katara rolled onto her side and put her finger on his lips. Zuko’s eyes widened and crossed, looking down at his own mouth, then up at Katara. 

“I said stop beating yourself up, Zuko. We don’t punish people for their mistakes forever in my tribe. When someone makes a mistake, they have to make amends to those they have harmed, and if they change their behavior, they are forgiven. Everyone does things that hurt people, so it doesn’t make sense to blame them for the rest of their lives. That’s why it was so horrifying to find out about the Boiling Rock. We don’t lock people away like that.”

Zuko exhaled a shaky breath and gulped, a tear welling up in his uninjured eye. “We should learn from your tribe. There’s so much we should learn from other nations. My family’s violence hurts everyone, including our own people. And - not everyone in the Fire Nation is bad, they don’t deserve -”

Katara kissed the tear that was trickling down the prince’s cheek and pulled back, placing her hand on his heart. “You will do so much good for the world, Prince Zuko. You are going to be such a good leader.”

Zuko’s face had broken open, and Katara could almost see the little boy he had once been and the wise old man he would be. He placed one hand over hers on his chest and spoke earnestly, the other palm coming up to her cheek.

“You will, Katara. You already are. If I transform my nation’s legacy, it will be because of you and your friends - and my uncle. You showed me that honor is acting with courage, hope, integrity, and generosity. Aang is the Avatar, but it’s you who’s going to save the world.” 

She blinked rapidly, eyes stinging suddenly. Katara scooted close to lay her head on Zuko’s shoulder and curl into his side. “How can you say that? Aang is the hero.” Zuko’s hand left his heart and tipped her chin up to look at him. 

“I love Aang, too, Katara. But he would still be in an iceberg if it weren’t for you. And you saved his life so many times after that. Every step of his journey, you’ve been by his side to heal him and teach him.

And if we all live, it’s going to take more than one twelve-year-old to rebuild the world. He’s going to need you, and so will your tribe, and m- all your friends. You’re the one who keeps everyone together. You’ll restore the Southern style of waterbending and rebuild your tribe. You show girls that it’s possible to be a warrior and a healer at the same time. You inspire oppressed people to rebel, you break down every wall that stands in the way of what you believe, and - you’re, you’re amazing, Katara. Please remember that. You’re not just the Avatar’s girl. You’re a hero all on your own.”

Katara’s brow wrinkled and she turned her face away, chewing her lip. “I’m not Aang’s girlfriend, Zuko.” She felt the prince’s heartbeat speed up under her cheek. “I know he wants that, and I used to think it was my destiny, but - I want to do everything you just said. I want to find out who I am besides being a mom for all these boys and men and children who need me.”

Zuko swallowed thickly and nodded firmly. “That sounds good. Uncle used to ask me, ‘Who are you? And what do you want?’ I hurt a lot of people - I hurt you - before I really tried to find the answers to those questions. You of all people deserve to put yourself first.”

“Isn’t that selfish, though, Zuko? Aang needs so much, and he wants me, and he lost everyone he loved. And I do love him, and this fortune-teller told me I was going to marry a very powerful bender, and - ”

“Katara, you _are_ a very powerful bender - on your own. What if the fortune-teller meant you were going to make a lifelong commitment to yourself? That’s what a marriage is - so what if you promised yourself to, to love and take care of yourself no matter what?” Zuko’s eyes seemed to see through her. Katara went very still. 

“You know how much harm I did when I was trying to live out someone else’s idea of my destiny. I don’t - I don’t want you to suffer like that. Not that I know what your destiny is! But, just, maybe your destiny is inside you. Not something someone else can tell you.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Uncle would know a good way to say this.”

Katara took his hand away and wrapped her fingers in his. “I think you did great, Zuko.” She smiled up at him in the starlight. “Your uncle will be so proud of you.” Zuko’s chest clenched under her cheek and she kissed their clasped hands gently. “He will. I know it. Those of us who love you can’t stay mad at you forever. He’s going to forgive you.”

Zuko went still and he seemed to stop breathing. “You, um, you - love - me?” he whispered. “Are you sure?”

Katara laughed and snuggled closer. “Duh, that’s what I said. You’re my family, and I love you. We all do, even though you lose your temper too much. Silly firebender.” He caught his breath and began to trace gentle circles on her back. 

“I’m too close to the ocean to argue with a master waterbender. Who happens to lose her temper too -” Zuko’s mouth filled with saltwater Katara had bent into his face, and he sputtered, sitting up and coughing. 

“Now I need some tea to wash out this salt,” he pouted. With surprising gentleness, he smoothed Katara’s hair out of her face and got up, walking over to the tea set. Straightening his back and setting his face in a practiced smile, he bowed and gestured for Katara to take a seat by the tray on the sand. “Could I interest the lady in our house special today? It’s a special blend of jasmine and ginseng.” He warmed the pot with deft motions - he really was graceful in his own way, Katara noted - and poured her cup. 

Katara felt her heart-space glowing with the tenderness that had come to replace her bitterness towards Zuko, and joined her friend for tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.instagram.com/p/CC89Np4lYuc/?igshid=gn202yoykmgr
> 
> Credit to Cher for taking down Aunt Wu


	4. character is beauty

Zuko couldn’t believe the lack of discipline in the Avatar’s group. Before he’d joined them, he’d assumed they were a hyper-efficient team of elite warriors - how else did they consistently defeat enemies with significantly more firepower and experience? At this point, he was beginning to believe that there were invisible spirits protecting the rag-tag band of kids. It made sense for the Avatar’s crew to have spiritual support, and how else could they goof off so much and still survive? 

But they had never faced his father. He remembered being as innocent as they were, only a year older than Aang, and having faith that doing the right thing would protect him. He was physical proof that it wasn’t enough. There was no mercy in Ozai, and they had to learn that lesson before they, too, were scarred. He couldn’t save the little boy who’d lost his face, but the young Avatar’s spirit hadn’t yet been broken. And that was too precious for Ozai to ruin.

It hurt when his new friends - his family, Katara had said - looked at him with anger and fear. He brushed away the brief hurt he felt when he realized they’d left him out of their plan to wait until after the comet, reminding himself that he had waited far too late to join them. 

Their horrified disbelief at his father’s plan was more evidence that they didn’t understand Ozai’s complete lack of soul. Aang’s fatal hesitation and ultimate disappearance boded even more poorly for their chances of survival. When they turned to him for leadership, even letting him steer Appa, he prayed to Agni that he could keep them safe. Especially Katara. 

Of course he freaked out and over-reacted when Jun joked about him being Katara’s boyfriend. She seemed horrified at the prospect anyway. And they had much more important things to worry about than his feelings. They had to stop Ozai, or his father would turn to the Water Tribes after the Earth Kingdom, to eliminate the Avatar’s next incarnation. 

He couldn’t let that happen. Katara would not lose her people like Aang had. And the longer Aang was gone, the more Zuko prepared himself for the worst.

It had taken losing Uncle to learn that true love meant putting aside selfishness to do what was best for the person you loved. Uncle had given up years of his life and career to support Zuko, even though Zuko knew he had been miserable company. His mother had set aside all the privileges of royalty to save her son’s life. 

What Zuko felt for the brown-skinned warrior-healer filled the same space in his heart where Uncle and his mother lived. He wanted to give her what Iroh and Ursa had given him. 

His flames came from life, now. And the heart of his life - the reason his heart still beat - was the love he had received. Someday, he hoped he could show that to his sister. Fire as illumination and warmth. Until then, he would try to be a man that would make Iroh and Ursa proud.


	5. no one is free until all are free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> on bender supremacy and totalitarianism

Ty Lee poured her spine over her legs, enjoying the deep stretch. Mai’s callused hands pulled Ty Lee lower, till her forehead rested on her shins. Ty Lee loved stretching with her girlfriend. Especially when it led to other delicious activities. 

Without looking up, she could feel Mai turn her head. “What is it, love?” Ty Lee squeezed Mai’s hand and sat up. Jun was approaching quickly on the shirshu, far earlier than expected. 

“Break time’s over, ladies. We’ve got new clients. They want to leave immediately.” Ty Lee pouted a little at the interruption of their evening, but unfurled quickly into a handstand and landed delicately on her feet. “They’re drama queens, say the world’s gonna end if they don’t find their target. But one of them’s a prince, so they probably have deep pockets.”

Ty Lee stepped to Mai’s side. She could feel her girlfriend’s back tense and a shuriken slip into her hand. The knife master still held bitterness towards her ex, though the knots were loosening in her aura. Ty Lee slipped her arms around Mai and stroked her back, raising herself to her toes to kiss Mai’s cheek. “We don’t have to go on this mission, Mai. We can sit this one out.”

The taller girl turned her face to kiss Ty Lee properly. “No. We didn’t come this far to hide from the war. My stupid ex isn’t important enough for me to let Ozai and Azula win.” Ty Lee felt herself beam. She loved adventures with her girlfriend. The two quickly packed up camp and climbed atop Nyla. 

\-- 

So meeting Zuko was awkward, as expected. He was just as hopeless at social interactions as ever, Ty Lee noted, but his aura was clearer than it had ever been. The clouds of turbid blue had cleared to an ocean shade that looked remarkably similar to the waterbender’s energy. The red in his energy field had also transformed from curdled blood to a vibrant crimson-gold like sunrise on Ember Island. He gave a heartfelt and terribly incoherent apology to Mai - on his knees, no less - that unblocked a lot of the chi stagnation in Mai’s heart-space. Ty Lee hugged her girlfriend from behind as hurt poured out of the taller girl’s pericardium meridian into the earth. 

Her dignified partner leaned back into Ty Lee’s embrace and tilted her head to kiss her. Ty Lee gladly reciprocated, even though she knew Mai was partly kissing her to show Zuko she was over him. Ty Lee had always had a mischievous side, and Zuko was hilarious when flustered. 

His expression was totally worth it. Ty Lee laughed so hard her stomach ached. “Surprise, Zuzu!” The old nickname brought back the familiar scowl, but there was none of Zuko’s old malice behind it. It quickly cleared and was replaced by a sweet earnestness Ty Lee hadn’t seen in a decade. 

“I’m really glad you two have each other. You both deserve so much good.” Ty Lee tilted her head at this new version of her childhood companion, touched. He’d remembered who he was - his mother's son.

“You too, Zuko. Princess Ursa would be proud of who you’ve become.” The glistening in his eyes was new, too - they had all learned early on to suppress any emotion that Ozai or Azula could exploit. The waterbender’s immediate embrace of the banished prince kindled Ty Lee’s curiosity, especially when she wiped away tears from his scarred cheek - and he allowed it. He’d never let anyone touch his scar before. Maybe all of them could find happiness, despite the war.

“Are you done with the dramatics? Nyla’s getting impatient,” Jun drawled. “We’ll find the target faster if the ladies ride on the fluff-bird.” Ty Lee and Mai looked to the Avatar’s friends for consent. After a quick huddle, they agreed. Ty Lee clapped her hands in delight. For the first time ever, she would get to fly with the sacred animal companions of her people.

The skybison seemed to recognize her when she approached him, leaping close and covering her with kisses. “Appa, leave Ty Lee alone!” The Water Tribe warrior scolded. “I swear he’s usually not this friendly with strangers. He really likes you.” Ty Lee gazed into the skybison’s huge eyes and felt her ancestors rejoice in her bones. She embraced Appa quickly and flipped up into the saddle. 

Mai was in battle-mode, sharpening her shuriken in total concentration. Ty Lee loved her partner’s capacity for focus, especially since her own attention tended to wander like a butterfly. They balanced each other - Ty Lee helped Mai embrace spontaneity and joy, while Mai kept Ty Lee grounded. Ty Lee placed a hand on her girlfriend’s back, massaging gently. “I love you, Mai,” she whispered. 

The black-haired girl put down her blades and took Ty Lee’s face in her hands, bringing their foreheads together. “I love you, too.” They only stopped kissing when they heard a slap. 

“Sokka! Stop staring!” The Kiyoshi warrior had her boyfriend’s chin in her hands. “Seriously, didn’t anyone teach you any manners?” 

The waterbender shoved her brother lightly, “They tried. It just didn’t get through his thick skull.”

“Hey! I have manners! I’m very mannerly! I’m a manly mannered man!” He sputtered. 

“No, Snoozles, I’m more of a mannered man than you are,” the petite earthbender laughed, propping dirty feet in his face. “You need to listen to your girlfriend. She has a lot to teach you.”

Sokka’s face sobered. “I could spend my whole life learning from Suki. I’m so lucky she lets me hang around.” Suki’s aura glowed gold and she pulled him close. 

“Oh great, all the non-benders are gonna make out. Guess we’re gonna have to save the world alone. At least we make up three quarters of an Avatar, and we’re tougher than Twinkletoes anyway. We can take Ozai.” Toph rolled her eyes and blew her hair out of her face. 

Mai narrowed her eyes and sat back, looking down her nose at the earthbender. “That’s pretty bigoted, coming from someone who’s supposed to be saving the world for everyone. Benders cause a lot of destruction, and constantly treat non-benders like second-class citizens.”

Zuko looked at Mai and nodded slowly. “You’re right, Mai,” he rasped, rubbing the back of his neck. “We don’t just need to stop the Fire Nation from oppressing the other nations. We’ll also have to work on ending bender supremacy.” He didn’t see the way the waterbender was looking at him, or Ty Lee was sure he would have blushed as red as his robes. Ty Lee smiled to herself. She couldn’t wait to plan their wedding. The color scheme practically designed itself.

Ty Lee caught Suki noticing as well, and the two grinned. Ty Lee decided they were going to be friends. “Zuko, have you thought about replacing the monarchy?” the Kiyoshi warrior asked, leaning forward. “On Kiyoshi island, each household has a designated representative who speaks to the town council. And we take turns being the leader of the warriors so that no one’s flaws can take us permanently off-course.”

The prince blinked rapidly and breathed deeply. “Wow. Um, that’s - a great idea. I never thought of that.” He looked at the waterbender by his side shyly. “Katara, how does your tribe handle leadership?”

The healer bit her lip and Ty Lee giggled internally at Zuko’s slight flush. “Dad’s technically the chief, but when he left we had to make decisions without him. The council of elders took on a lot of the leadership duties the chief usually handles. It’s good because they have a lot of life experience, and they talk about all the pros and cons together. Gran-Gran said they had a rule that everyone had to have a chance to speak before they reached consensus.”

Zuko put his hand on the waterbender’s gently, looking down. “I’ll do everything I can to bring your father home, Katara. If we win, I’ll ask my uncle to give your tribe everything you need to rebuild. It’s the least we can do after all we’ve hurt your people.” The waterbender wove her fingers through his and leaned on his shoulder. 

“I know you will.” 

Ty Lee scooted closer to the young earthbender, knowing she felt left out among the older couples and almost-couples. “Hey, do you want to learn some chi-blocking? I bet you’d be great at it,” Ty Lee smiled. She could tell the little girl’s bravery, grit and sarcasm covered a soft heart. Just like Mai, another daughter of nobility who’d been taught to be seen and not heard. She saw in Toph her girlfriend’s younger self. 

The earthbender’s aura brightened immediately, and that wide grin was back. “You bet, Stretch! Show me how it’s done.” Ty Lee cracked her knuckles and began.


	6. love cannot exist in the absence of justice

Katara wrinkled her forehead in concern. Zuko was sitting with his head down in front of his uncle’s tent. “Are you okay?” She rubbed her arm, trying to figure out how to support him. 

“No, I’m not okay. My uncle hates me; I know it.” She knelt down beside him, leaning close. “He loved me and supported me in every way he could, and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?” Katara could see regret in the shape of his posture, that slight hunch in his shoulders that rose when he went into a shame spiral. His upbringing had taught him that mistakes were punishable by mutilation, exile, and imprisonment. The prisons of the Fire Nation weren’t only physical, they clearly occupied the minds of the people, as well. 

“Zuko, you’re sorry for what you did, right?” She touched his shoulder to pull him out of the self-punishment she knew he was engaging in. He met her eyes with as much sorrow as Aang had felt after accidentally burning her. 

“More sorry than I’ve been about anything in my entire life.” Katara privately noted that this was saying a lot - she’d never meant anyone who carried more guilt and regret than the prince. 

“Then he’ll forgive you. He will. He loves you too much to hold a grudge forever. I forgave you, and I’m a lot more resentful than your uncle. Love doesn’t punish people and cut them off. People who love each other forgive each other when they make amends. Life is too precious to waste it being angry at the people we love.” 

Zuko’s chin trembled and Katara pulled him gently closer to her, his head on her shoulder. “He clearly loves you like a son, or else he wouldn’t have put up with you during your ponytail days. Only someone who loves you unconditionally could have the patience for bald-Zuko.” The teasing had its intended effect; the prince’s pride breaking through his self-recrimination. 

“It was a phoenix tail! Uncle had the same hairstyle when he was a prince!” He poked her side, grumbling. Katara realized that his touch had become a source of comfort, sometime after she had forgiven him for a war he hadn’t begun.

“Family is the people who love you as you are, even with your flaws and mistakes. Behavior has consequences, but love is unconditional.” Katara felt saltwater on her skin and realized Zuko was weeping. Her element was inside this boy of fire. She took his hand and stroked her thumb against his palm. They stayed linked together until she felt his breathing slow. 

“If there’s one thing I know about you, Zuko, it’s that you are brave enough to face your fears. That’s why I know you can do this.” He nodded and sat up, his posture straightening and shoulders rolling back. Since the Sun Warriors, she had seen this side of him more and more - dignity grounded in self-knowledge and conviction. 

When he met her eyes, she caught her breath for some reason. She felt - precious, valued, seen, respected. Irreplaceable. His gaze felt like Kya’s last look before her mother sacrificed everything. Katara shivered and sat down to wait as her friend stepped into the tent. 

\--

Of course Iroh forgave Zuko, just like she’d known he would. She held Sokka’s hand and squeezed, knowing he was remembering their reunion with Hakoda. The war tore families apart in every nation, she knew now. The way Zuko and Iroh looked at each other made her heart ache for her father, and she hugged Sokka close. He understood without them needing to speak. 

When General Iroh announced that Zuko would be Firelord, she looked at her friend. Of course he accepted this new burden as his duty, the honorable course of action. Katara narrowed her eyes at the old man and stood up. 

“No. This is wrong. All this war does is steal childhoods because the adults keep messing everything up. Sokka and Aang and Zuko and I never got to be kids because we had to take on responsibilities that were too big for us. Stop putting unfair burdens on our generation and take responsibility for the mess adults made!” General Iroh blinked at her and looked down, gathering his hands in his lap. 

Master Pakku stepped forward and kneeled to whisper in Iroh’s ear. “Master Katara does this often, Grand Lotus. She once yelled at me until I agreed to train girls in waterbending and fought me more valiantly than men twice her age. I couldn’t admit it at the time, but she was right. I apologize for her lack of propriety.”

Katara didn’t look at Zuko. “Propriety isn’t as important as justice. The Northern Water Tribe’s propriety kept women oppressed. The Fire Nation’s propriety allows colonization. And it’s unjust to keep making children responsible for a broken world.” She knew this wasn’t so much about Zuko as it was about her and her bitterness at her father leaving her in the village to be a caretaker instead of a little girl.

General Iroh’s eyes seemed to understand, and the empathy she saw in them softened her anger. She sat down and took a deep breath. “I apologize for my outburst, sir, but I ask you to reconsider.” She was trembling, and she hugged her knees to her chest. Toph scooted closer and rubbed her back. 

“You make a good point, Master Katara. I am sorry that my generation has taken so much from you and your friends. We must take the lead in the hard work of rebuilding the world. But we do need you to lead someday. We who were born in the old ways must learn from the youth who will create the future.” Katara nodded and leaned against Toph’s side.

“Uncle, Suki had an idea that might solve this problem,” a raspy voice said. Katara glanced quickly at the prince. “What if we organized a government with representatives from each of the islands? And shifted leadership for the archipelago on a regular basis? Maybe the people could choose their leader instead of us telling them what to do.” He glanced down and rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, our family doesn’t exactly have a great track record in government.” 

The grey-haired man broke into a smile, gazing at his son - Katara knew a father’s love when she saw it - with utter tenderness. “What a wonderful idea, Prince Zuko. You see why we need your generation?” His eyes twinkled. “I and the other members of the White Lotus will support you in the execution of this vision, every step of the way.” 

The prince gave his small, shy smile, and Katara wondered how much suffering could have been averted if his childhood had been full of unconditional love. He opened up like a flower under Iroh’s loving gaze.

“I hate to spoil the mood, but - how are we gonna defeat the Firelord? I like this plan as much as the rest of you, but Aang’s gone and the comet is almost here.” Toph’s practical perspective brought them back to the present. General Iroh laid out the plan. Ty Lee, Mai, Sokka, Suki and Toph would take on the airship fleet. Zuko and Katara would return to the Fire Nation to face Azula. 

Katara squeezed her brother so tight he winced. “You better not let yourself get hurt, you big goof. After this war, I’m swearing off taking care of dumb boys. You are not allowed to do anything that would make me need to heal you, okay?” She sniffled into his chest. 

“I love you too, sis.” Her older brother rocked her gently, like Kya used to. “No matter what happens, for as long as we live. I’ve got your back.” Katara nodded and stepped back, wiping her eyes. “Don’t let the jerkbender do anything too stupid, okay?” She chuckled and nodded, crossing her arms. _“Water Tribe.”_ Sokka did his goofy signature move and walked to the eel-hound. 

Katara hugged herself as he walked away, the one family member she’d kept close through everything. A warm hand on her shoulder announced Zuko’s presence. “He’s so strong, Katara. And smarter than he acts a lot of the time. Your grandmother raised two warriors.” She gulped down a sob and turned into his warmth. He was solid as Sokka, dependable and firm. He held her until she was ready to face what was coming. 

\--

“Sorry, but you’re not going to become Firelord today.” Katara saw the fire princess turn around and she quickly jumped to the ground, motioning for Appa to fly to safety. 

“You’re hilarious,” Azula laughed, but there was a fearful pitch Katara had never heard in the princess’s voice. Her usually immaculate appearance was disheveled, bags under her eyes untouched by makeup. 

“And you’re going down.” Katara reminded herself that this was the girl who had murdered countless people, split apart families, almost killed Iroh. She called on every memory of Fire Nation oppression she had, to try and push down the surge of compassion and confusion she felt at the princess’s state. 

Katara wasn’t Aang. Her heart was vast as the ocean, but she came from a people of snow who understood the role of the warrior. The arctic seals felt pain, too, but the tribe had to kill them for their people to survive. They honored the sacredness of all life through prayer and by using all parts of the seal’s body. She would pray for Azula’s spirit once the princess could no longer hurt innocent people.

“Let’s settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was almost meant to be. Agni Kai.”

“You’re on.” Katara’s eyes widened. 

“What are you doing? She’s playing you. She knows she can’t take us both, so she’s trying to separate us.” Katara felt the old pain crawl up her throat. Zuko was the only family member by her side, and he was risking his life unnecessarily. 

“I know. But I can take her this time.” 

Katara gritted her teeth. “But even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula.” Stupid jerkbender, stupid boys and their stupid pride! Just like Aang flying away to try and defeat the Firelord right after Azula shot him full of lightning. So convinced they had to do everything alone.

“There’s something off about her. I can’t explain it, but she’s slipping.” _Duh,_ Katara thought to herself. “And this way, no one else has to get hurt.” There was that gaze again, the way he had looked at her outside his uncle’s tent. Like she was irreplaceable. “You’re the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe, Katara. I won’t let your people lose their last master. Let me make up for the way my ancestors hurt your people.” 

Katara felt his eyes light a candle in her heart. This boy’s fire brought illumination and warmth. It was a strange sensation she would try and understand later, if they survived. For now, she nodded and let the prince make amends for his people’s wrongs.


	7. who save the world? girls!

Suki willed the airship to go faster. Aang looked so small and young, a child tasked with an impossible burden. She didn’t want him to face Ozai alone - not after he’d lost his people. With Mai and Ty Lee, Sokka and Toph, they had easily disabled the airship fleet. 

They landed amidst charred trees just as Aang fell into the water. The battle was magnificent and terrible, the elements at war under an umber sky. She tried to think how they could get to Ozai without getting caught in the crossfire. When Aang disappeared into a ball of earth and Ozai poured fire upon him, Suki made up her mind. Her young friend was too gentle and committed to his ideals to kill - and who was she to judge him? She knew his beliefs were all he had left of his people. She would call on the strength of Avatar Kiyoshi to do what needed to be done. 

Her friends seemed to understand, and they quietly followed her towards Ozai. Mai swiftly threw three shuriken, striking the Firelord in the throat and chest. The Phoenix King’s roar of rage shook the earth, and Ty Lee darted from behind to block his chi. Suki sent a metal fan flying into the man’s stomach as Toph bent earth around his arms and legs. 

Wind whipped through Suki’s hair, but she didn’t take her eyes off the man in front of her. An ancient chorus of voices rose from the place where Aang had been. “Firelord Ozai, you and your forefathers have devastated the balance of this world, and now, you shall pay the ultimate price.” A serpent of water, earth, fire and air struck Ozai down. The Avatar bent a vast boulder to crush and bury the man who scarred his own son. 

Suki turned as the airbender’s tattoos dimmed. Toph caught his bruised body and she and Sokka drew close to their young friend, Mai and Ty Lee holding back. She realized Aang didn’t know they were on his side now and she nodded at them as they retreated out of sight.

“Aang, I’m so proud of you. Thank you, little buddy,” Sokka whispered, taking Aang’s head in his lap. Suki felt tears in her eyes and she took Aang’s hand. “I know that was so hard for you, but you did it for all of us. Thank you.” 

Toph was openly weeping, the first time Suki had seen the earthbender break down. “Twinkletoes, you’ve mastered earthbending. You faced your fears head-on. You’re a champion.”

Suki met Aang’s eyes with concern. “How are you feeling, Aang?” She couldn’t imagine what he must be going through. 

“I’m glad you’re here with me,” Aang said finally, squeezing her hand. “You all are my family.” Suki was relieved to see the sweetness and clarity hadn’t left his gaze; she had seen the war extinguish the light in people’s eyes after killing. He looked wiser, more serious, but still himself - he had not lost his brightness. “I’m sorry I left when you needed me the most.”

Toph punched him in the arm, wiping her running nose on her sleeve. “Yeah, that was messed up, Twinkletoes. Don’t you ever do that again.”

Aang smiled at his sifu softly and took her hand. “I promise. Avatar Yangchen taught me that I need to stop being spiritually arrogant and learn from my opposite element. I’m going to work on staying with my feelings even when I’m uncomfortable or scared.” 

Suki and Sokka looked at each other with wide eyes. “Okay, group hug time! I’m so proud of you I can’t stand it. And then we’ve got to find Katara and Zuko. They might need our help,” Sokka said as he bundled the four of them into his embrace. 

“Oh yeah, plus Knifey and Stretch are with us now,” Toph said into Aang’s chest. “And they’re the cutest couple ever, but don’t stare.”

Aang blinked and grinned, taking his friends’ hands. “Let’s bring our family back together.”


	8. water is life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The phrase "Water is Life" comes from the sovereignty struggle of the Standing Rock Sioux. ATLA fans should support indigenous peoples resisting colonial oppression - donate at https://seedingsovereignty.org/
> 
> "No one is an enemy of water" is a verse from the Holy Odu IFA.

The Agni Kai was terrifyingly beautiful. Sozin’s comet endowed the already talented fire siblings with even greater power. Katara’s heart ached each time she saw Zuko’s soul in his bending - moves of water, earth and air he had humbled himself to learn. The son of Ozai who had unlearned supremacy and chosen love.

Azula’s technique was deadly as usual, but not as precise. She slumped off-center, her root unsteady. Katara gasped when Zuko sent her tumbling across the plaza. 

“No lightning today? What’s the matter? Afraid I’ll redirect it?” 

Stupid jerkbender! Katara was going to punch him if they made it out alive. She ran forward to protect the idiot firebender who had challenged a waterbender at night on an icecap. He was clearly missing a certain part of the brain that prevented a person from tempting fate. 

“Oh, I’ll show you lightning!” The air crackled, dry heat and blue-white daggers. Katara narrowed her eyes at a girl her age, a motherless child who had chosen fear over love. 

Katara realized too late that the fire princess didn’t share her brother’s obsession with honor. Her eyes widened and time slowed down. She was going to die. She would never see Sokka, Hakoda or Gran-Gran again. Maybe she would see Kya - 

But the boy who attacked her village was running faster than light, leaping towards death to take her place. Katara’s body was ice, Zuko’s cry echoing in her ears. He was curled in the fetal position, shaking, energy crackling as his limbs seized. 

Sound came roaring back and Katara ran towards him, barely conscious she was yelling his name. But another shard of lightning came between them, and Azula’s terrifying laughter rang in Katara’s ears. She would have to defeat the lost princess in order to heal Zuko. Single-handedly kill a prodigy temporarily granted the power of a hundred firebenders? She was Katara, and she would never turn her back on people who needed her. Zuko needed healing, so Azula was going down.

Yugoda had taught her that humans respond to danger by going into fight, flight, or freeze. She would not run from this fight, as Aang had fled his. She would not freeze while Zuko was in pain. She fought with every cell in her body, watching for the moment she could turn the fire princess’s strength against her. When she fell on her forearm, she thanked Tui and La for the water in the grate below. “Water is life,” Gran-Gran had taught her years ago. “No one is an enemy of water.” Even the nation that taught its children to hate the other elements couldn’t go without its opposite. 

Katara thought of Toph, who waited and listened before she struck. She let Azula come to her, rooting in her neutral jing. As the princess circled her hands, Katara said a silent prayer to Yue and pulled a wave around the two motherless daughters. The coolness felt like home, like family, like peace. She bound Azula’s hands and thanked Yue, letting the ice go. 

Katara’s sense of time was strange; she didn’t feel herself running to Zuko’s side. She knew it wasn’t ideal to move someone after a major injury, but she prayed to Agni - she’d heard Zuko say that was the fire god - to keep him alive so she could tend his wound. The star on his chest looked just like the mark Azula had given Aang, but she couldn’t let herself think about that. Spirit oasis water or not, Zuko was going to live. 

Katara focused on her breath, asking the water to work miracles. She had lost too much time to fix the surface damage, but she called on her element to soothe the vital organs, energy centers and meridians of his body. She closed her eyes and visualized tissue and muscle knitting themselves back together, urged blood and lymph back into place, fortified cell walls and begged his body to live. She didn’t have to see his face to know he was grimacing in pain. 

Katara felt his breathing ease and she turned to meet soft golden eyes. “Thank you, Katara,” he whispered, and tears poured down her cheeks. She knew she was in shock, her body overwhelmed, because her field of vision had narrowed to the boy in her arms. Words weren’t working and they couldn’t express what she was feeling anyway. She shook her head and pulled him into her arms, to feel his heartbeat against hers. She rocked like a small child, catching her breath, leaning her temple against his. They stayed like that while Azula howled, for what might have been a minute or a century.


	9. unconditional

Zuko felt a warm hand in his as he came to. Blinking, he saw a dozen shades of crimson and realized he was in the palace. The pillow under his head was softer than he’d felt in weeks. He turned and met blue eyes, and his jaw dropped a little as he dropped into the present moment. 

They’d won. Katara’s bossiness apparently worked on adults as well as children, and the fact that she’d defeated the almost-Firelord seemed to intimidate the entire palace staff. In moments of chaos, people looked to leaders who were clear and firm - and that was Katara. Zuko privately wondered if she could be the next president of the Fire Nation. 

Mai, Ty Lee, Suki, Toph, Aang and Sokka had arrived by eel-hound shortly after. Their group hugs were so big now Aang could make an airscooter in the middle. Zuko realized that he loved hugs and never wanted to go without them again. If he ever had kids, he was going to hug them every hour of every day. 

Katara barely left his side. She insisted there was deeper tissue repair to do, and Zuko wasn’t going to stop her. Being near her was medicine, just as much as her glowing waters. He squeezed her palm gently and cleared his throat. 

“Hey.” Why hadn’t he inherited Uncle’s smooth-talking abilities? “Um, have you eaten?” That was the first question his mother always asked him. 

Katara laughed. “Yes, Zuko, I ate. Can you rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?” He nodded and closed his eyes, scanning his body. 

“Um, five? What about you?” His brows met in worry. “Are you getting enough sleep?” 

Katara made a face at him and laughed. “You’re the patient, not me, Zuko.”

“I know, it’s just - you take care of people all the time. And, and sometimes it gets lopsided. Like the people you’re taking care of aren’t taking care of you when you need help. So that’s why. Cuz you said you weren’t going to heal any more stupid boys after the war. But you still are.”

Katara caught her breath and looked at him quietly. “You’re right. When you’re well, I’m going to yell at you for being an absolute doofus and bringing up lightning during the Agni Kai.” Zuko smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck with his free hand. 

“Yeah, Uncle always said I don’t think things through.” Katara’s eyebrows climbed her forehead. 

“That’s an understatement. But Zuko,” her face turned serious. “You saved my life.”

He blinked at the expression in her eyes; it was new. “Of course. The world needs you, Katara. Your people need you. I told you I wouldn’t let my family take away your tribe’s last waterbender.” 

She looked down. “One of the staff said the Fire Nation believes in life debts.”

Zuko brushed his thumb against her hand. “You don’t owe me or anyone else anything, Katara. You’ve given up everything to defeat my father and bring balance to the world. You’ve done more for this planet at fourteen than most people do in a lifetime. You could retire and go surfing all day for the rest of your life, and no one could say anything about it.”

The waterbender stood up and scooched him over on his bed, then snuggled by his side. “You’re the second person to put their life in front of mine, Zuko. You and my mother. ” Zuko warmed his body temperature; Katara always felt cold. “And, I do take care of people too much, I know I do, because I get resentful, but it’s partly because she gave her life for me. She put me first, so I want to pay it forward. She gave up everything for me, so I feel like I need to do that, too. To honor her sacrifice.” 

Zuko’s heart ached for her. “Katara, she did that because she loved you. You told me that love is unconditional, remember? And I don’t totally know what that means, and I spent a lot of my life thinking my dad’s way of acting was love, and I’m still learning, but I think it’s like - kind of like the sun. It shines on everyone, even people who do bad things. And the sun doesn’t ask us to do anything to earn its light. So I think - real love must be like that. It doesn’t stop loving when a person messes up, or demand you be perfect, and it doesn’t - it doesn’t die. Even when we can’t see it, like at night or when clouds come.”

Zuko bit his lip, hoping he was saying the right thing. “I never met your mother, but I - I hope this is okay to say, and I’m really really sorry if it’s not, because I mean who am I to talk? I think she just would have wanted you to be happy. To just, let the sun shine on you.” He felt tears on his chest and panicked. “Oh no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t - please forget what I said, I had no right to -”

A brown hand was on his mouth and he promptly shut up. “You’re in my life debt too, goofball. So from now on you are forbidden from over-apologizing. You can only say sorry once for each mistake after you make amends. I reserve the right to freeze your balls if not.” Zuko gulped and nodded. 

“Um, are you okay? You were crying so I thought I said something wrong.”

Katara lifted her head from his chest and his heart jumped. She was so close and so beautiful and she had just talked about freezing his balls. Being a good person was confusing and terrifying.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, Zuko. I think my mother wanted me to hear that.” 

Zuko felt warmth in his forehead, where Uncle said the upper Dan Tien resided. It was the energy center closest to the Spirit World, an elixir field that spiritual seekers sought to strengthen and purify. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Katara, my heart is still beating because of you, my uncle and my mother. But I didn’t try to save you because I felt obligated. I did it because,” he breathed out, heart pounding, “because I, love, ohmygod, you? And I just want you to be happy and stay breathing and not do anything out of obligation ever for as long as you live okay.” 

Zuko decided he was never going to open his eyes again. He would play dead and pull an Aang. There had to be some handy icebergs available for awkward princes with foot-in-mouth disorder. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hold his breath. 

The sensation of soft lips on his cheek must mean he had died and gone to some kind of beneficial afterlife. He peeked with his good eye and fell into an ocean of blue. Yes, definitely Heaven. Somehow his actions since the eclipse had pleased the gods. He blinked.

“Zuko, I love you too. And, I mean the first time I said it I meant you were family, but - I think there’s something else there, too.” Spirit-Katara bit her lip and Zuko’s cheeks burned. “It’s too big for me right now, it’s the kind of feeling I think my mom had for my dad, and I’m too young for that. We didn’t get to be kids, and this is the kind of love grown-ups get married over. I think if we rushed it or pushed it, it could break.”

Zuko brought his hand up to her cheek and gazed at the girl who’d ended a hundred-year war. He wasn’t dead, this was real, and she was right. He nodded. “Now isn’t the time. Right now is a time for families to heal. I want to find my mother, and to, to try and help Azula heal.” His heart ached. “I never thanked you for, for sparing my sister, Katara. She’s hurt so many people and it’s not okay, but she didn’t have Uncle. And I know my mother favored me. Azula only had Ozai. She wasn’t always a monster. When we were little, she just wanted love. I hope - I hope she could be like you, someday. She’s so smart and strong and I wish my dad hadn’t hurt her. I don’t want to hate her or anyone else anymore.”

Katara kissed Zuko’s palm and he decided that was another thing he wanted to do every day for the rest of his life - say things that made Katara want to kiss him. 

“Be careful with her, Zuko. But you showed me that enemies can become friends and people can change for the better.” 

Zuko’s heart was wide open for the first time in over a decade. He ran his hands through Katara’s hair, memorizing the moment. 

“Would you wait for me, Zuko? Or - I guess that’s not fair - you shouldn’t deny yourself because I’m not ready - can we say that, if we’re both single at the same time someday, when there’s peace and we’re grown up and we both know who we are, we’ll see? If we could love each other and be good to each other?”

Zuko looked at the girl who’d saved the world and nodded immediately. “Of course. And we’re always going to be family. No matter what happens. I just want you to be happy, whether that’s with me or not. Take care of Katara. Before anybody else.” 

Katara’s kiss was incomprehensible softness. Thick waves of hair hung by his ears and blue eyes hovered above him. “In case we end up with other people or something, I just wanted one kiss to hold onto.” Zuko exhaled shakily and privately wondered how he could ever kiss anyone else again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Even  
> After  
> All this time  
> The Sun never says to the Earth,
> 
> "You owe me."
> 
> Look  
> What happens  
> With a love like that,  
> It lights the whole sky.”
> 
> ― Hafiz


	10. the western air temple

Ty Lee’s heart-space was overflowing with joy. There was no sensation like the deep alignment and belonging she felt in her bones in the Air Temples, especially now that many of the Nomads had returned. She could feel her ancestors healing in her body and energy field. Avatar Aang had used energy bending to grant airbending abilities to those who had demonstrated a commitment to the precepts of their people, and many of the dispersed survivors had chosen to participate in the Air Nomad cultural reclamation initiative.

The ten-year celebration of the war’s end was also a reunion of sorts. In the wake of Ozai’s defeat, Ty Lee’s friends had followed different paths. Ty Lee was particularly proud of the self-defense academy Mai and Toph had founded to empower femmes. Girls from all over the Earth Kingdom ran away from home to study knife skills and earthbending (as well as some chi blocking when Ty Lee returned from the Air Temples). 

Katara spent several years rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe and training the next generation of waterbenders. When she was satisfied that the lineage of her people had been restored, she traveled the Swamp and learned the Foggy Swamp style. 

After completing her term as the leader of the Kiyoshi Warriors, Suki and Sokka spent some time with the Mechanist adapting Fire Nation technologies to help the Earth Kingdom rebuild. They worked closely with Zuko and the Fire Nation president on the logistics of concrete reparations, while Avatar Aang took the lead on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Ty Lee had been delighted to learn that her people had traditionally celebrated same-gender love, and Aang officiated her commitment ceremony with Mai. Ty Lee, who saw the Avatar as a younger brother, rejoiced when the young man began to explore his sexuality and embraced polyamory. As he healed from his developmental trauma and came into adulthood, he came to accept that fluidity and lightness shaped his needs in romantic partnership, connecting with others whose desires and needs complemented his airy nature. 

With Katara’s encouragement, Zuko took time after the war to seek out his mother. Iroh and other members of the White Lotus oversaw the transition from empire to representative government. The Dragon of the West guided the Fire Nation through a handful of rebellions and a period of civil unrest while Zuko and his mother took time to heal their relationship. Ursa, a master herbalist, created a formula to support Azula’s recovery and dedicated years to repairing her relationship with her daughter. 

Although the young prodigy initially resisted her medication and lashed out at her mother frequently, much of her viciousness drained away after Aang took away her firebending. Over the last couple years, Azula’s recovery had reached the point that her care team allowed her greater freedom. Ty Lee hoped that one day, her former friend could accept herself and find love. Ty Lee knew that Azula had had feelings for her in adolescence, and prayed for the brilliant, wounded princess. 

Ty Lee and Suki exchanged gossip from time to time on their favorite almost-couple, Katara and Zuko. The awkward prince briefly reconnected with an Earth Kingdom girl he met in Ba Sing Se, and Ty Lee thought Jin’s easy practicality had grounded Zuko. Their parting had been amicable and Zuko moved on more at peace with himself. His time with a young Fire Nation man seemed to loosen much of the shame and excessive responsibility he carried around in his youth. They naturally grew apart, but Zuko took from the experience a deep passion for justice. As a representative for Caldera City, he fiercely advocated for equity for same-gender-loving couples and people with diverse gender expressions. 

Katara was so private that not even her sister-in-law could figure out her relationship status. Suki confided in Ty Lee that Katara seemed to be taking all the time she needed to pursue her interests and goals, which nobody could fault her for. But she and Zuko maintained a close correspondence, no matter where she traveled. After she and Sokka set some firm boundaries with older generations of the Water Tribe, the elders stopped pressuring her to marry. When Suki and Sokka’s first children were born, even the unspoken pressure eased, with Kya’s and Hakoda’s lineage alive in twins. 

“Ughh, why don’t they just kiss already?” Ty Lee whispered to her wife. The fire- and waterbender were seated close, as usual. “Would you please let me meddle?”

Mai didn’t have to speak. The eyebrows said it all. They had had this conversation countless times over the past decade. She tweaked her airbending wife’s nose and smiled slightly. Ty Lee rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning into Mai’s side. “I’ve already designed the wedding invitations. They need to get on with it!”

Aang leaned over and nodded firmly. “I’ve re-written my speech thirteen times! I’m thinking of opening with the legend of Oma and Shu.” 

Ty Lee’s eyes shone with delight.


	11. happy

Katara leaned back on her palms, gazing at Yue. Nights at the Western Air Temple were sweetly familiar, but she could feel the beating hearts of many Air Nomads in addition to her old friends. The air was cool and clear.

She felt the living water of his presence, but didn’t hear him. He still moved like a cat. She turned her head and smiled up at the boy who stopped lightning for her. 

“Hey, Zuko.” Katara took his hand and drew him down by her side. 

“Hey, Katara.” He smiled easily now, shoulders looser and head high. She saw in him the sweet child who had loved turtleducks, resurrected. 

“Thank you again for the scrolls, Zuko.” She looked up at a face she had hated once and saw unconditional love. “My Tribe is thriving again. The Southern style of waterbending is alive in the children. You healed the wounds of those who went before you.”

“It was actually Azula’s idea,” he said hesitantly. “To go look in the catacombs. And to return them.”

Katara exhaled deeply, releasing bitterness. “That’s beautiful, Zuko.” 

He looked at her without speaking, eyes soft. She felt that old sensation of candlelight in her chest and closed her eyes. “Zuko, are you happy?” 

“Most of the time. Are you?” She felt moonlight on her skin and stone under her hands. Her body had been a sea of hurt, once. Childhood losses, unmet needs, fear and grief and anger held in the interstitial spaces. Ten years had drained almost all of the pain, and she felt light.

“I am, Zuko.” Katara leaned into his warmth. “I’m ready.”


End file.
